11 February marks the International Day of Women and Girls in Science. The United Nations General Assembly chose this day in 2016 in order to provide women and girls with full and equal access and participation in science and thus promote scientific vocations among them. As part of this commemoration, Elhuyar has launched, for the sixth consecutive year, the “Escaparates 11 February” initiative, in which businesses from Alsasua, Aretxabaleta, Mondragón, Barakaldo, Baztan, Bilbao, Burlada, Durango, Elgoibar, Erandio, Galdakao, Pamplona, Llodio, Legazpia, Mutiloa and Urduliz will participate between 2 and 11 February. This year they have joined the Navarran shop window initiative, which has considerably increased the number of shops. There will be a total of 400.

Each establishment (see list of participants) will dedicate a shop window to a woman in the field of science. The window will show illustrations and posters with information related to the work of this woman and will be decorated with motifs inspired by her research. In this way, the businesses will become disseminators of the life and work of these scientists, thus contributing to make visible the contribution that women make to science.

As in previous editions, this sixth edition will offer the possibility of participating in a public gincana about 12 scientists. Citizens will be able to complete the gincana by answering online questions that they will find in the stores affiliated to the initiative. On the other hand, the schools participating in the initiative will receive the paper version with information that they must complete, so that they can visit the shop windows with the students and thus learn more about the work of the female scientists.

In addition, in February you can also visit, in the following locations, the exhibition “Women who light science”, based on the images that will be exhibited in the initiative “Shop window 11 of February”: Aretxabaleta, Barakaldo, Baztan, Berriozar, Burlada, San Sebastián, Eibar, Izarbeibar, Legazpia, Ordizia, Tafalla and Urduliz.

This initiative was created six years ago by Elhuyar within Bizilabe, as part of the scientific-technological leisure activities designed for youth. Through STEAM education, Elhuyar promotes throughout the year the participation of girls in scientific and technological issues, highlighting and making visible through different projects the work of women scientists, in order to create referents and bring their research closer to boys and girls. In this way, they are given the opportunity to know the life, trajectory and model of these women, in order to overcome false ideas and stereotypes.

International Day of Women and Girls in Science

On the occasion of the celebration of the International Day of Women and Girls in Science, Elhuyar joins the 10th edition of Emakumeak zientzian (Women in Science), collaborating with 33 other important entities representative of the scientific and technological fabric: Basque Centre for Applied Mathematics (BCAM), Basque Center on Cognition, Brain and Language (BCBL), BCMaterials, Biogipuzkoa, CIC bioGUNE, Donostia International Physics Center (DIPC), Elhuyar, Faculty of Informatics of the EHU, Faculty of Chemistry of the EHU, Achucarro Basque Center for Neuroscience, Aranzadi, University of Engineering The program of activities organized by all of them is available at the address www.emakumeakzientzian.eus. Within the programmed activities, EITB and Elhuyar have organized in the Aquarium a live session that will start the 4th season of the podcast Uhin ultramoreak. The objective is to break stereotypes, develop a critical point of view, arouse curiosity and rule out myths, as well as entertain. Alaitz Ochoa de Eribe and Ana Galarraga will guide the session live, from humor, taking feminism and scientific dissemination as central axes.

THE 12 HONORED SCIENTISTS

In the current edition, the following scientists will be honoured:

• Jane Goodall (London, United Kingdom, 1934-2025). Primatologist
• Mari Luz Guenaga Gómez (Eibar, Gipuzkoa, 1975). Computer Engineer
• Ola Arafat (Gaza, Palestine, 1977). Pharmacist and activist
• Marie Anne Gillan Boivin (Versailles, France, 1773-1841). Matron and inventor
• Yásnaya Aguilar Gil (Ayutla Mixe, Mexico, 1981). Linguist
• Elisabeth Rasekoala (Lagos, Nigeria, 1960). Chemical engineer
• Amaia Ortiz Barredo (Valdegovía, Álava, 1965). Phytopathologist
• Ruby Payne-Scott (Grafton, Australia, 1912-1981). Physics
• Hong Wang (Guillin, China, 1997). Mathematics
• Lourdes Herrasti Erlogorri (Aretxabaleta, Gipuzkoa, 1958). Historian and anthropologist
• Rebecca Lee Crumpler (Christiana, USA US, 1831-1895). Medical
• Olatz Ortega Vigados (Bilbao, Bizkaia, 1997). Ecotoxicologist